


Muse

by debwalsh



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Artist Steve Rogers, Captain America Steve Rogers/Modern Bucky Barnes, Gay Bucky Barnes, Gay Steve Rogers, Jealous Steve Rogers, M/M, Modern Bucky Barnes, Past Relationship(s), Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Shrunkyclunks, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century, WinterGiftX, giftfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-25 04:53:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21690481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/debwalsh/pseuds/debwalsh
Summary: Dr. James “Bucky” Barnes is out and proud, at the top of his professional game as a professor of history at Columbia University, and tasked with teaching a certain recently defrosted super soldier about how the world has changed since he went into the ice.Steve Rogers is closeted and full of regrets about the man he left behind in order to enter Abraham Erskine’s Project ReBirth chamber.  But meeting Dr. Barnes opens up possibilities he hadn’t expected ... maybe even redemption and acceptance in this bright and dizzying future.My Giftfic for Thatswherethelightgetsin for the #WinterGiftX gift exchange on Twitter.  I hope you enjoy!  Thank you, SpecialHell, for organizing this!
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Riley/Sam Wilson
Comments: 18
Kudos: 432
Collections: Winter Gift Exchange 2019





	Muse

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Thatswherethelightgetsin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thatswherethelightgetsin/gifts).



> The prompt was:
> 
> They would like Stucky, shrunkyclunks, perhaps featuring Jealous!Steve. They don't like Incest, rape, or sad endings.
> 
> How’d I do?

“Captain Rogers, sir?”

Steve turned toward the voice and found himself looking at an attractive man in his 30s, with eyes the color of a storm-swept sea, and a carefully schooled, if respectful, expression.He held himself like a soldier at parade rest, but he wore a civilian suit in a well-fit but off the rack cut. He held a thick folder under one arm, and extended his hand out with the other.

“Who’s asking?” Steve asked, taking the hand carefully.

“James Barnes, sir. I’ve been tasked to be your liaison.”

“Liaison?With what?”

Those stormy eyes twinkled as a smile twitched across his full lips. “The future, sir.”

&&&

Doctor James (Bucky to his friends) B. Barnes, on loan from the History Department at Columbia University, sat across from his charge and considered him silently.

Rogers was, in a word, beautiful.The newsreels from the 1940s, the Hollywood propaganda flicks, and the Battle of New York news coverage all failed to convey his essential and undeniable beauty.

Another word to describe him was salty with a capital S.Rogers was not really an “aw, shucks, ma’am” kind of guy, despite the USO press releases and the brief press conference he’d been trotted out for during the post-invasion clean-up.Oh, he might use the polite vernacular, and he had impeccable manners, but it didn’t take long for Bucky to pick up on the little tells that told the true story of Rogers’s opinion on the shit he was being shoveled.

There, that little twitch just below his left eye.Or how about now, the quirk of his lips into a fast, hard line, that released back into a bland and expressionless mask.The staccato drum of two fingers on the arm of his chair, a quick ba-rump-ba-ba that was stilled by his considerable force of will.A quick dilation of both pupils, followed by a deliberate return to normal.

And then there was the language.

Captain Steve Rogers was, after all, the product of the US Army, in more ways than one.

And his use of profanity was both imaginative and amusing. 

If he had the time, Bucky would love to interview Captain Rogers - repeatedly - about his use of profanity in the 1940s vs. the twenty-oughts.It would make a fascinating monograph on the evolution of language.

But for now, Bucky had a job to do, and that was to acclimatize the super soldier into the mores and customs of the 21st century - not to mention the changes wrought since he went into the ice.He needed to make him a smarter asset, for his own sake, and for SHIELD’s - specifically, Fury’s.

“Okay. Let’s cut to the chase,” Bucky interrupted the Captain’s extended diatribe on why he didn’t need a keeper.

“Yeah? ‘Bout fucking time.All right.Go ahead.”

“Like it or not, Captain America is a symbol. A symbol that made his debut, without helmet, on the evening news across every news and social media outlet on the planet during the Chitauri Invasion.Your genie has gotten out of its bottle, and everyone know you’re alive, and kicking alien butt on behalf of the people of New York.”

“I didn’t do it for them.I mean, not just for them.The Chitauri were going to take the entire fucking planet.New York was the foothold.If we hadn’t held them back there ...” He shook his head, dislodging a curl of sun-kissed hair.Bucky tried to ignore how damnably cute that made his charge.Tried but didn’t quite succeed.

Instead, he focused on the job, the job of getting Rogers on board with the program.“I get it.But, New Yorkers have claimed you as their own, and they’re not going to let you go that easily.”

“‘S’okay.It’s my home, anyway.”

“Right.”Bucky picked up his mug and took a sip of his coffee, allowing Rogers to chill for a moment before resuming, “In any case, between social media and the legitimate news, everyone knows what you look like.Everyone assumes you live in New York, and everyone and their giddy aunt wants a piece of you - or at least five minutes in prime time with you at the top of the bill.”

“Prime time?”

“Prime television watching time.FCC made it 8 to 11 on the East Coast.Outside those hours, programming is generally local on network stations.Streaming is anyone’s guess.”

“We didn’t have TV yet when I went under.News travels too fast nowadays.No time to digest it, make sense of it.”

“Oh, I don’t disagree.I do a unit on the rise of the news monopolies in my survey of American history after the war.One of the things historians posit is that the crash of 1929 would never have happened if news had disseminated as fast then as it does now - people would have seen the market recover -“ At Captain Rogers’s blank look, Bucky checked himself.“Sorry.Once an academic, always an academic, I guess.”

“You’re a teacher.”

“History.Columbia.My personal specialty is American History from the 20th century to the 21st, with an emphasis on how social justice has changed since World War II.”

Nothing had prepared Bucky for what happened next.His world went through a tectonic shift as Captain Steve Rogers - Captain Fucking America himself - turned those baby blues on him and smiled. 

Bucky was fucked, and not in a fun way.

&&&

“So explain to me why.Why hasn’t there been a woman president?In the past 70 years, why haven’t you elected a woman?And why are black people still living in fear, their lives treated like they’re less than dirt?And the Indians!And tell me why queer people can’t marry in this century?”

“Okay, well, first of all, I can’t explain to you why, because none of it makes any sense.But I can tell you from a socio-historic perspective, it’s because of white, conservative, primarily male, and primarily pseudo-Christian pressure within the political system.”

“A shadow government.”

“There’s some validity to that, yeah.There are ... economic concerns ... that have more influence than they ought.”

“You mean fat old white men with buckets of money who’ve bought our democracy.So nothing’s really changed.”

“Well, in that regard, maybe not.But we have made some progress in some areas, even though there is still a long way to go.As for gay people - the community frowns on anyone outside the community using ‘queer’ by the way - it is legal for same sex partners to marry in New York state, as well as several others.”

“Community?”

“Yeah, the LGBT ... well, there’s a lot of potential initials.The gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, trans, non-binary community.People who aren’t strictly straight.” 

Steve seemed to be giving the matter intense focus, and Bucky wasn’t sure to assume that Steve was pleased or frustrated.He’d asked the question, so Bucky assumed he was an ally at least.He could work with that.

Finally, Steve nodded to himself, then turned those scary blue eyes on Bucky.“Okay, Teach.What do we do to change this?All of it?”

Well, that was unexpected.

&&&

Over the next few weeks, Dr. James Barnes was Steve Rogers’s constant companion.People assumed he was Secret Service by the dark suits, the way he fell into parade rest, the way he’d go ahead of Steve to scope out the scene, and the earphone he wore all the time.It was an illusion, but an effective one.He had leeway to vet questions that interviewers wanted to ask Steve, and he’d advise Steve on the hot buttons or pitfalls inherent in the questions, especially if they would benefit from historical context.

He was normally introduced as Steve’s assistant, but everyone on the press tour assumed he was muscle. Bucky found it amusing.He knew he looked good, looked convincing, and his time spent in the gym paid off in supporting the image.

On the road, with just each other for company between appearances, Steve and Bucky had the opportunity for Bucky to educate Steve about the preceding decades.It hadn’t taken Steve long to ask where Bucky served, and he saw no reason not to answer.His ops might still be classified, but his general service record was not.And that gave him and Steve a common language, a shared experience.Soldiers in different theatres, different ages, but soldiers nonetheless.It wasn’t necessary that they bond, but it was nice.Nicer than Bucky had a right to expect, really.

Because Steve Rogers unplugged was profane, prickly, and pretty much the coolest guy Bucky’d ever met.Also the prettiest, without question.And that had the potential to be a problem, because Steve Rogers was also the archetypal straight dude, while Bucky?Bucky most certainly was not.

They were wrapping up the circuit of talk shows when they found themselves alone on the StarkAir jet that Stark Industries had placed at Steve’s disposal, kicking back with some top shelf bourbon that Steve savored but admitted had no more effect on him than iced tea.Steve seemed to hesitate for a moment, but he put his elbows on the polished wood top of the table, and looked up at Bucky from beneath his sinfully long lashes.

“I was wondering if you could help me with something,” he said softly.

“Yeah, sure, if I can.What?”

Steve slid a small slip of paper across the table with two fingers.“I need to find someone.”

Bucky picked up the slip and looked at it, and huffed out a laugh.“Well, shit, Steve, give me something hard to do.This is easy.”

“What?”

“Arnie Roth?One of the great heroes of the equality movement, a personal hero of mine.Hell of an artist, too - one of my favorites.Shit, you should come over to my place and I can show you half a dozen art books by him -“ Bucky caught himself then, reigning in the fanboy and the not so veiled invitation to come up and see his etchings, and waited for Steve’s reaction.

“Arnie is famous?That’s ... that’s great.I always knew he had it in him.Is he ...?”

“Still alive?No, sadly.He died in the 1980s.AIDS.”

“AIDS,” Steve repeated.

“The ‘gay plague’ was one of the names it was known by back then.”Bucky paused then, assessing.He’d just outed someone that Steve had known, and now he held his breath for a reaction. He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised to see sadness etch lines around Steve’s blue eyes, so he said quietly, “Did you know?”

“That Arnie was gay?Yes, I knew,” Steve answered, but volunteered nothing more.“AIDS.It killed a lot of people.”

“Still does, although there are treatments now.But back in the 1980s?The medical world and governments turned their backs on it, believing it to be God’s punishment for ‘deviant behavior’,” he added bitterly, glancing toward Steve to judge his reaction once more.And as expected, he could see the tells for Steve’s anger rising.“Another chapter in American history that bears its own special brand of shame.I can recommend some books, some films, to help you catch up.”

“Yeah, okay.It sounds like something I need to educate myself on.It’s better now?” he asked soberly.Bucky shrugged.It was in some ways, for some.But in some of the most vulnerable parts of the world, AIDS was still a death sentence because of ignorance and hatred.He could get to that after Steve learned more, though, so the shrug was all he was willing to give up for the moment. He was glad he made that decision when Steve’s voice sort of broke on, “Is Arnie buried in New York?”

“Cremated, actually.His ashes are interred in New York, though.How do you know him?”

Steve was silent for a long moment, almost disappearing into some distant past.Then he seemed to rouse, and answered softly, “We went to school together - art school.We were, um, roommates.”

“Wow,” Bucky breathed, shocked to find Steve Rogers become even more interesting - and attractive - to him.“I’m sorry - it’s gotta be tough finding out that someone you cared about is gone.”

A small smile quirked at the corner of Steve’s mouth, and his expression softened.“Yeah.Yeah, it is.I guess I should put together a list, huh?Of people I wanna track down.Who knows?Maybe somebody’s still around,” he added with a tiny lilt of hope.

“Well, from your time as Captain America, there’s Director Carter.She lives in England now, still sharp as a tack they say.”

And that tiny flicker of hope blossomed, opening Steve’s features in a breathtaking way.Bucky would be lying if he didn’t admit to himself that he was both attracted and a tad bit jealous.“Oh.Peggy is - I’d like to see her.It would be nice ... well, it would be nice.”

“Yeah, sure.Hey, maybe Mr. Stark’ll let you take the jet.Or who knows - maybe he’d come along. They’re practically family, after all.”

“They are?”

“Yeah, his Dad and Director Carter founded SHIELD.You didn’t know?”

Shrugging, Steve answered, “Fury and his agents are pretty tight-lipped about anything I ask.You’re the only one who gives me useful intel. Is this info I could get online?”

“Yeah.And there are books on the subject, too.I’ll put together a reading list for you.”

“Thanks.And, um ... were you serious about showing me Arnie’s books?Because I’d really like to see them.”

“Uh, yeah, sure.We can make plans -“

“Tonight?”

“Uh.”

“I’ve overstepped, I’m sorry.It’s just ... it would be nice to see something familiar, you know? I knew Arnie’s style almost as well as I knew my own.In fact, sometimes we’d mimic each other’s styles just for fun.”

“Really.Well, maybe you can help solve a mystery then.”

“A mystery?”

“Yeah.After Roth died, his publishers put out a huge coffee table art book. It was called ‘My Muse,’ and it’s all images of someone who inspired him, from the 1930s through to his death.The face is always obscured, even though the body or the background is finely detailed.It’s the same man throughout, except for the final plate.People have been arguing over who it could be since the book came out.But after all this time, it’s still a mystery.The publishers came out and said they never knew, and the identity of Arnie’s Muse went to his grave - or whatever - with him.Maybe it’s someone you knew.”

Steve was silent for a long time, his blue eyes wide, and the skin around them drawn.Suddenly Bucky felt bad for going on about someone that Steve had known, someone Steve had lost, like a chuckle headed fanboy.He was about to apologize when Steve shook himself slightly, and nodded, “Huh.Maybe.”

Bucky couldn’t ignore the alarms that were going off on his Steve-dar.There was something loaded about Steve’s relationship to Arnie Roth. But it couldn’t be what he thought it was.Steve was straight, right?And as for having him over to look at his book collection ...

“Hey, how about this weekend, huh?I’m having some friends over for a cookout.Come out and meet the guys, kick back, and I’ll lend them to you, okay?”

“Oh, um yeah.That sounds like fun.I haven’t met anyone outside SHIELD, so yeah.And hey, maybe you could help me recover my stuff from SHIELD.”

“Your stuff?”

“Yeah, my belongings from before the serum. Everything got boxed up and put into storage before I went to Camp Lehigh.My art was packed away with everything else.I mean, if Arnie could do a book ... maybe I could, too?You could help me?”

“Oh, Steve.You just said the magic words every historian wants to hear.”

“I did?”

“Absolutely.We’re gonna publish, baby!”

&&&

Steve’s mind was reeling.Arnie, a famous artist.A champion of gay rights.And felled by that horrible disease the ripped through an unsuspecting population in the 1980s.

The last time he’d seen Arnie, he’d been furious.His beautiful face had been distended and red with anger.

“Why do you need to get yourself killed, Steve?You’re 4F - you’re safe.You don’t have to go -“

“Arnie - I do.I gotta do my part.You know I do.”

“You know I don’t, Steve,” Arnie’d said then.Arnie hadn’t believed in the war, in any war.Ultimately, he’d served on the home front as a conscientious objector. He and Steve had been an odd pair - tiny, combative Steve, tall, quiet, Arnie.Steve felt compelled to be a part of the war; Arnie had seen it as a moral duty to refuse to fight another human being.

Steve had kissed Arnie on the cheek the last time he’d seen him, his box of belongings in his arms.And then he’d walked out of the apartment they’d shared.Walked out of Arnie’s life.He’d never seen his friend - and lover - again after that day.

And Steve realized that on that day, the Steve Rogers he’d been had come to an end.No longer the queer artist who fought for unions, women’s rights, and social change, who’d sat with his friends at the local queer club, drinking and arguing over who was going to effect the greatest change in the new world order.

Steve had become a symbol of the very world they’d hoped to unmake.The world believed that Captain America was righteous, conservative, and straight.So unlike the man that Arnie had been.

He’d written to Arnie from Camp Lehigh, even offered to send part of his pay to help cover the cost of the apartment until Arnie found a new roommate.But Arnie had informed him he didn’t want to benefit from the war in any way, and that included Steve’s Army pay.Steve had kept trying, but one day, his letter came back “addressee unknown.”Not long after had been the serum, and Abraham’s death, the USO and then the War.And he hadn’t known what happened to Arnie until Bucky told him of the amazing life Arnie had led.Without him.

He was learning his way around the technology of this new century.Bucky helped, patiently showing him how to work things and then explaining what he could get out of the tech.Context was so important, and with it, the world opened up for Steve.

So he knew he could search Arnie on the internet.And now that he knew the lines of his life, he wasn’t so afraid to anymore.And so he did.

It didn’t take long to locate information about that last book Bucky mentioned, My Muse.And when he found it, he clasped his hand over his mouth and let the fat, hot tears fall. 

He knew who Arnie’s muse was.

And in that moment, he decided that the world needed to know, too.

&&&

Bucky’s home was a nice suburban home nestled in a wooded area in one of the bedroom communities to New York City.It had been his grandparents’ place, and then his parents’.When his folks had decided to chase the sun and move south, they’d sold the family homestead to Bucky for a dollar.It was easily accessible to Manhattan by train, and according to Bucky, provided a nice break from the population and pressure of New York.

Steve found it impossibly loud with all the nature.Birds, squirrels, trucks lumbering along the highway on the other side of the wood ... Steve didn’t know how Bucky could stand it.Give him the soothing rumble of the subway, the bray of the taxi driver, the obscenity laced call of the average New Yorker.

But the place was big by Manhattan or even Brooklyn standards, with a deck leading down to a big backyard, a permanent outdoor kitchen, and lots of Adirondack chairs that were currently occupied by an assortment of beautiful men.Some had arrived with partners, some arrived with others who seemed like they were just friends or roommates.All of the men seemed friendly and affectionate, and kisses were freely shared.Each of Bucky’s friends had refrained from offering Steve a kiss, eyeing him a little awkwardly, then smiling shyly when Steve didn’t step forward to offer a kiss in greeting.Not that he wouldn’t mind it, he just didn’t feel comfortable doing that with people he didn’t know. So Steve sat in the living room, looking through the impressive stack of art books featuring the art of the man Steve let get away.No, not get away.Steve had pushed him away, denied everything Arnie believed in, to follow Steve’s own dream.

Was it worth it?

He glanced out the window toward the party in the backyard.Bucky, looking gorgeous in a muscle tank, his tanned skin golden in the sun, red highlights glinting in his dark hair.His friends, all beautiful men, were lounging or laughing all around the deck and backyard, in various states of dress and undress, a spectrum of races and tastes - some looking like models fresh from a photo shoot, others like they’d been debauched within an inch of their lives and were just catching their breaths before they did it all over again.All seemed to glow with confidence and life.

The scene reminded him of his friends back in the old neighborhood, only with far less clothing.Arnie, their arty friends, the guys from the Socialist Union, the queens who worked the clubs.He knew that some of their friends worked the docks, too, but it was a subject no one ever discussed.

He wondered if people were more open in this new age.And he wondered if he’d ever learn to join them.

Just then, the door opened with a bang, and a stunning couple seemed to burst onto the scene - one fella a bit shorter than Steve, with flawless dark skin, a gap in his front teeth, and a trim goatee, the other tall and lanky, a frame Steve had come to associate with modern basketball players, bold lines of interlocking black tattoos on his deeply bronzed skin giving him an otherworldly and magical look.Both intensely attractive, they were breathtaking together.

“Ho, ho, ho!Yo, Barnes, the party has arrived!” the goateed man announced heartily, throwing his arms wide to embrace the world.

Steve saw Bucky almost gasp and jump in place when he heard the voice, and with a broad smile, he raced into the living room where the newcomers stood grinning expectantly.

“Sam! Riley!You made it!” Bucky exclaimed excitedly, reaching out to the guy who was apparently Sam.Sam grinned back, caught Bucky’s hand, and tugged him closer, planting a serious kiss on Steve’s ... friend.Not crush.Friend.

And the way that Bucky melted into the embrace, his fingers gently brushing against the short hair at Sam’s nape, the way his other hand slid sensuously up Sam’s back, the way the kiss lingered, with obvious application of tongue ...

Steve had to turn away then, feeling both an embarrassed blush and pooling arousal threaten to embarrass him further.

“Ignore them,” the other man said then, and Steve turned back to see a broad hand outstretched to him.“Riley.That’s Sam.I’m gonna have to remind him who he belongs to in a minute.You’re ... ?”

“Oh, uh, Steve,” Steve answered, accepting the hand, enjoying the warmth and gentle strength in the handshake. 

“Oh.You’re Steve.So, Steve, tell me your intentions, hmm?” Riley demanded, dropping onto the couch next to Steve, his eyebrows arched expectantly.

“Intentions?” Steve repeated, glancing toward where Sam and Bucky were still playing tonsil hockey.

“Like I said, ignore them.Old habits and all that.I think it’s muscle memory more than anything these days.”

“Muscle memory?”

“From when they were dating.Before Sam and I got married.”

“You’re - ?” Steve was really confused now.

“Yeah. They were together for years.We’ve all been friends at least as long.Then they decided they needed a break.And that’s when Sam and I ... well, we found out we were friends but we could be more.”

“Oh, um ...”

“Everybody in this group has hooked up at least once or thirty times.Dated, too.But under all that, we’re friends first.So, if you’re gonna be part of our merry little band, I wanna know what your intentions are toward our lovely James.”He turned then toward where Sam and Bucky were still making out and absently pawing each other.“Oi!Down boys before I hose you down.Remember who you’re married to, Samuel!And Buck, get your own!”

The two men broke apart with a pop and then bubbling laughter, clapping each other on the back like they’d just watched a great touchdown, not shared a searing kiss.

“Riles!How’s it hanging, baby?Got any sugar for me?” Bucky teased, but Riley just snorted.

“You got enough sugar from the hubs to cover us both.Get over here, Samuel - need to mark up that pretty skin, make sure this dumb white boy knows who you belong to.”

“As if I could forget,” Bucky said with a smile, but Steve wondered if maybe there wasn’t a little pain under that, too. It couldn’t be easy to have someone you loved married to someone else, especially if you all remained friends.

Steve wondered what life would’ve been like with Arnie if they’d seen each other again after Steve joined Project Rebirth.The look on Arnie’s face when he’d left that night ... that was the only thing Steve regretted about the decision, even if it had thrust him into an unfamiliar future, empty of familiar faces and people who cared about him.

But, as he glanced toward Bucky, who was smiling softly at him, Steve wondered if he was selling this new world short.And especially the man who stood in the middle of his own living room, glancing at him through long dark lashes.

“Well, Riley, I thought I was after Buck’s art book collection.He has excellent taste.”

“That he does.Oooh, Roth!I love those.What’s your guess?’

“Guess?”

Bucky stiffened, darting warning glances toward Steve. 

The public knew that Captain America had been recovered from the ice.And they knew that Steve Rogers was Captain America. With the help of the Stark PR team and Bucky, they’d been managing Steve’s public persona. But looking around him now, Steve realized that Bucky’d been giving him opportunities to manage the private persona, too.No one at SHIELD or Stark Industries knew that Steve was queer.He needed for someone to know.Why not Bucky and those he held dear?

“I don’t have to guess.I know.”

“Oh, yeah, sure you do.Lemme guess - Cap here knew Arnie Roth back in the good old bad old days, huh?” Sam chuckled.

“Um,” Bucky said, clearing his throat.

“No shit.You did?”

“He was my ...” Steve paused, steeling himself to put the truth out into the open air at last.He owed Arnie that, at least.“He was my boyfriend.”He reached out and opened the book, My Muse, to the first piece of art, a slender young man seen from the back, the knobs of his spine pressed against shiny pale flesh, the curvature not quite right as the naked boy looked away from the viewer.He traced his finger down the odd line of the spine.“I had scoliosis before the serum.Made a mess of my back.Hurt to walk some days, agony to run.But Arnie could look at it and see something beautiful.”

Silence met this admission, and then Steve heard the subtle shift of a body leaning forward, and a dark finger settling down on the page next to his pale one.“Wow.”

Bucky came and sat down next to Steve then, held his hand out, palm up, fingers relaxed.Steve turned and looked at him, looked into the eyes that asked a million questions, the heart that offered everything.Bucky’s eyebrow arched inquisitively as his mouth quirked up with a faint, hopeful smile.Steve let the smile bubbling up from his toes break free, and laid his hand in Bucky’s, letting their fingers twine. 

“I wondered,” Bucky said softly.And then he reached over with his free hand and turned the pages of the book until he got to the last plate.

Instead of the small, thin blond man whose features were smudged out or left out all together as in all the other art, the final piece was a view of the back of a tall, perfect specimen with broad shoulders, tiny waist, and what appeared to be a tattoo on the right buttock.Bucky’s fingernail tapped the tattoo as he said, “Look.”

Steve leaned over and saw “SGR” written in neat block script on the curve of what he realized was Arnie’s extrapolation of his ass from pre-serum to Captain America.Arnie had taken one of the earlier life studies, and turned it into something approximating Steve after the serum.He’d never really studied his own butt, but he suspected it wasn’t far off from reality.Arnie had definitely been an ass man, after all.

“I always wondered what the caption meant,” Sam said softly, his own finger underlining the paragraph below the art.“Guessing we might know now, huh?”

“I was always proud of who you were, who you could be, and who you became.- Arnie.”

Steve gasped softly, both at the sentiment Arnie extended to him through the decades, and the gentle tightening of Bucky’s hand on his.Then Steve turned and smiled at Bucky, and whispered, “I’m looking.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Like what you see?”

“Very much.”

“C’mon, babe.Let’s leave these two to their weird courtship rituals.I wanna beer,” Steve heard Riley say, felt the couch jiggle a little with Riley patting Sam’s knee.And then the whole couch shifted as they got up, leaving Steve and Bucky to continue staring at each other, hands clasped.

“Wanna do something about it?” Bucky breathed, leaning in toward Steve.

“Definitely,” Steve answered, tilting his head just far enough to brush his lips against Bucky’s. 

END

**Author's Note:**

> Anyone who reads my works regularly knows I love playing with the past informing the present. I really enjoyed writing this version of the boys, and giving Steve a new opportunity for happiness. I hope you did too!


End file.
